KENNY’S DRAMATIC RESCUE PAY BACK
THE hero at the centre of a dramatic rescue in Blackrock on Saturday in which two young people had a lucky escape after they got into difficulty while paddle boarding in the rough sea says he was ‘just returning a favour’.
Local resident and keen sportsman Kenny Dorian happened to be driving past The Crescent around lunchtime when he noticed a commotion at the beach. Stopping his car, he realised that two paddle boarders were in difficulty in the choppy water and were in danger of being blown out to sea.
Luckily Kenny had left a double kayak at the shore two weeks previously and had two life jackets and a paddle in the boot of his car.
After carrying out a risk assessment of the conditions, which were very dangerous with a gale force wind blowing off shore, he was satisfied that they were within his limit and made his way out to where the young man and woman were struggling to stay afloat close to Carapuncha island.
By that stage the two young people were exhausted and ‘ holding on to their paddle boards for dear life,’ recalls Kenny.
He managed to pull one of them onto his kayak and helped the other to get back onto one of the paddle boards until the Coastguard R116 helicopter arrived.
They were winched on board by the crew and then transferred by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda after the helicopter landed in Rathmount Park.
‘ They were in a very stressed state and were so grateful to be saved,’ says Kenny.
While the RNLI lifeboad from Clogherhead had also been dispatched to the scene, Kenny reached the young people first and played a crucial part in their rescue.
Downplaying his role in saving the lives of the two young people, Kenny, who used to play for Dundalk Rugby Club, modestly says that he was ‘just returning a favour’.
He reveals that he himself was rescued in similar circumstances by Johnny McCabe about ten years ago.
Kenny pays tribute to the skill of the pilot and crew of R116, and also thanked Patrick
Murtagh who helped him carry the kayak down to the shore.
He believes that the lesson which should be learned from Saturday’s near tragedy, is that those going out to sea should respect the elements.
‘People should do a risk assessment of the conditions, make a plan, have the proper safety
equipment, let people know what they are doing and have someone watching them from ashore,’ says Kenny, who spends a lot of time kayaking and organised Blackrock’s first triathalon back in 2004.
The two young people were kept overnight in hospital and treated for mild hyphothermia before being discharged the following day.